Unsheathed

In the backyard of the estate, a fierce battle was taking place outside the boudoir.

Xu Yuanxia had traveled all the way here with the intention of slaying demons, and even though he was only a fourth tier martial artist, the saber he was wielding was a divine weapon of a very high caliber. After being injected with True Qi, it would release a burst of red light that could slice through all things in its path with unstoppable force.

As it turned out, the old woman outside was a third tier Qi refiner, but she was already quite advanced in age and no longer had the energy to fight. After only around a dozen exchanges, she was knocked out cold by Xu Yuanxia using the pommel of his saber, then kicked into a nearby room, where she lay in an unconscious state.

Under normal circumstances, the old woman wouldn’t have put on such an inept display. However, the problem was that she had resided in this estate for over a century, and during that time, she had constantly been basking in the sinister energies drawn here by the formation.

As a result, even though she wasn’t a sinister ghostly being, she was still particularly weak to the Yang energy imbued within the man’s prized saber. On top of that, Xu Yuanxia had accumulated a great deal of experience in battle during his travels, and with those factors combined, it was no wonder that the old woman had been defeated so quickly.

Following the old woman’s defeat, the male owner of the estate had emerged to face Xu Yuanxia on his own. He drifted down into the yard from the reclining chair, wielding a longsword that hadn’t seen the light of day for a long time.

The blade of the sword was as cool as water, and against the opposing saber, the sword took a more delicate and spritely approach, refraining from clashing directly against it. Every sword strike was aimed at the important acupoints all over Xu Yuanxia’s body, and a burst of azure swordlight was being released from the tip of the sword, whizzing around like an agile firefly in the stormy night.

In contrast, Xu Yuanxia fought in a very direct and confrontational fashion. His attacks were rather bland and lacking in embellishment, but every single saber strike of his was fast and powerful.

He didn’t use a vast array of techniques, nor were his attacks particularly refined, but they were fast and decisive, and they would be sure to severely wound the opponent upon contact. Hence, even though the black-robed man had superior technique, Xu Yuanxia still had the upper hand.

As the battle wore on, Xu Yuanxia’s attacks became even faster and more formidable, and it seemed that he was being fuelled by a sense of righteous fury as he roared, “You deplorable bastard! You clearly came from a righteous path, so why have you willingly fallen into depravity rather than striving to pursue the Great Dao?

“What do you have to show for your efforts? You’re nothing more than a half-human, half-ghost abomination! You insist on protecting that female ghost at the expense of the welfare of this entire area! Look at what you’ve done! This entire place is completely devoid of human habitation for hundreds of kilometers! You deserve to die a thousand deaths for your heinous crimes!”

With another furious roar, Xu Yuanxia gripped the hilt of his saber with both hands, then swung it down viciously upon his opponent’s sword. The blow was so ferocious that the male owner of the estate was sent stumbling back several dozen feet, and it certainly wasn’t helping his cause that his feet were slipping on the slick ground.

After steadying himself with great difficulty, the black-robed man forced down a mouthful of blood that was threatening to gush out of his throat, then flicked his wrist to slash the air. As the sword struck the rain droplets in its path, they sounded like firecrackers.

Xu Yuanxia took a step forward while holding his saber in one hand, and the saber was glowing with dazzling radiance, illuminating his entire arm as he pointed a finger directly at the black-robed man with a furious look on his face. “The teachings of Buddhism say that it’s never too late to turn back and mend one’s ways. Lay down your sword right now and repent over what you’ve done! Do you really think I don’t dare to cut you down?”

For the first time in the battle, the black-robed man spoke, and even though his voice was extremely raspy, resembling the sound of a blunt blade being sharpened on a whetstone, there was a refined and elegant disposition about him, and not only did he not hurl any spiteful words at his opponent, he jibed with a calm expression, “The teachings of Buddhism also say that the one must first lay down their blade if they wish to attain salvation.”

Xu Yuanxia inspected his surroundings briefly, then took a glance at the reclining chair on the second floor before withdrawing his gaze as he sneered, “The fact that you’re still in the mood to be bickering with me like this tells me that there must be some more tricks up your sleeve that you’re relying on. I suppose that should come as no surprise.

“Given your background and your cultivation base as a fifth tier Qi refiner, perhaps you’ve already accumulated a huge amount of filthy wealth over the past century. Otherwise, the nearby mountain god wouldn’t be turning a blind eye to your actions.

“If I’m not mistaken, you must be too ashamed to go back to your seniors, but you’ve definitely been flaunting your background so that no one would dare to touch you, isn’t that right?”

Xu Yuanxia was becoming more and more furious as he spoke, and his face resembled that of the furious war deities being worshiped in temples as he roared, “Answer me!”

The black-robed man remained silent with a faint smile on his face, but there was a hint of melancholy deep in his eyes.

“I gave you a chance to repent and change your ways, but you chose not to take it, so don’t blame me for cutting you down in cold blood!” Xu Yuanxia roared.

The black-robed man heaved a faint sigh, and a slightly guilty look appeared on his face as he bit through the tip of his own index finger, using his own blood to inscribe runes upon the blade of his sword.

Inscription talismans had always been an integral part of the Daoist teaching, and it was said that in ancient times, such inscriptions could be used to send messages directly to the deities in the heavens. If one’s message were sufficiently earnest and reverent to be accepted by such deities, then all types of miracles would befall them.

For example, an inscription talisman presented to lightning deities could grant one the ability to wield lightning with their bare hands. On top of that, they would attain a godly body, and for a short time, it would be as if they were a lightning god incarnate, wielding tremendous power.

“No wonder there are remnants of inscription talismans on that shadow wall over there, you’re an official disciple of Divine Edict Sect! How could someone like you have fallen so far! You’re even more deplorable than I imagined!”

Xu Yuanxia was absolutely fuming, and he slashed down with all his might, unleashing an eruption of light that was so radiant that it was as if night had suddenly transitioned to day in the courtyard.

No matter how pitiful some demons and spirits were, Xu Yuanxia was already accustomed to their actions. In his eyes, they were innately evil, and it would’ve come as a shock to him had they been benevolent and friendly toward humans. Hence, even though he had always given it his all when slaying demons and eliminating fiends, never had he been so furious.

The man in front of him was a Qi refiner who had renounced the path of righteousness to pursue one of evil, and that was why he was so enraged.

Fuelled by his rage, Xu Yuanxia’s attacks had become even more formidable. That prized saber of his was a divine weapon that countless martial artists would’ve dreamed of. In his hands, it was giving off dazzling radiance and an incredibly formidable aura, to the point that the rain falling from the sky didn’t even get a chance to hit the ground before it was completely pulverized in mid-air.

In contrast, even though the black-robed man had made talismanic inscriptions on the blade of his sword, his body was decayed, while his will had also been whittled away, and he resembled an elderly man on his deathbed. He was only just barely able to maintain his cultivation base at the fifth tier, but his aura had already completely wilted away.

No matter how wide a river is, without any water running through it, it’s nothing more than a ditch in the ground.

With no energy to feed on, the talismanic inscriptions on his sword only had a very minimal enhancement effect on his speed and power.

On the second floor of the boudoir, the female ghost was finally unable to bear watching any longer, and she rose up with one hand covering her own face, while her other hand was holding a pillar to support her enormous frame.

As soon as she appeared, numerous tree roots that were as thick as the arms of grown men shot out of the walls, the ground, and the pillars of the courtyard like speeding arrows.

Xu Yuanxia had gained the clear upper hand, but all of a sudden, the tables had turned, and he found himself in a very perilous situation. Even so, he displayed no fear as he crossed through the courtyard, dodging some of the arrow-like tree roots that were flying his way and severing others with his saber. It was as if the danger that he was in had further ignited his heroic spirit, and he burst into laughter.

“I knew you were a tree spirit! Come! I’ll sever all of your roots, but I’ll make sure to leave you just barely clinging onto your final breath so that you can be baked to death under the light of the sun!”

Right at this moment, Zhang Shan came rushing onto the scene through the corridor with a pair of yellow paper talismans on his calves. These talismans allowed him to run like the wind, and he was moving so quickly that he was nothing more than a faint blur in the night.

“Mr. Xu, I’ve come to help you slay the demons!”

Xu Yuanxia was struck by a vicious tree root to the shoulder, and he took advantage of the force of the blow to perform a pirouette in mid-air, then sever the tree root with his saber. The severed section of the tree root continued to thrash around incessantly after landing on the ground, while black blood was pouring out the section of tree root that shrank back into the wall, giving off a putrid odor.

That, in addition to the dark and heavy rain falling from the heavens, gave the entire courtyard an overwhelming sinister aura. Thankfully, Xu Yuanxia possessed tremendous martial intent that formed a protective layer of golden light around his body.

Spotting Zhang Shan rushing onto the scene, he threw up a mouthful of blood as he yelled in an exasperated voice, “I appreciate the thought, little Daoist priest, but if you really want to help me, then take your friend and leave this estate right now! Go to the nearest town and prepare some fine wine for when I make my triumphant return! That would be the biggest favor you can do me!”

However, Zhang Shan was unwilling to leave. As a Daoist priest, it was his duty to slay demons for the benefit of the people.

As a side branch disciple of Mount Longhu’s Heavenly Master Residence, even though he was far away from that holy land of Daoism, and he was just some unknown Daoist priest with very limited abilities, he was still one of the countless candidates to becoming an orthodox Heavenly Master of the Zhang Clan!

The talismans glued to his legs were the divine movement talismans that he had purchased for a steep price, and they could last roughly 15 minutes. Divine movement talismans were also known as armored horse talismans, and as their name suggested, they could help the user run as fast as a galloping horse, much like ancient deities riding atop gusts of wind.

As such, divine movement talismans were considered to be a seventh grade talisman, and no matter how expensive they were, the price was worth it for Zhang Shan, who had a frail body and lackluster combat prowess.

As soon as he entered the fray, Zhang Shan made a hand seal, then cast his gaze up toward the boudoir on the second floor as he commanded, “Go!”

The peach wood sword on his back immediately shot forth, yet instead of directly flying toward the female tree spirit, it was following the movement of his fingers, flying through the air in a large arc. In the end, it skirted around a pillar, then flew toward the female tree spirit from the side at a vicious angle.

Not only did the female tree spirit have to help her husband ward off the attacks of Xu Yuanxia, she now also had to deal with the peach wood sword that was hurtling toward her, and as a result, she no longer had the spare attention required to conceal her own face.

As it turned out, half of her face was completely rotten with maggots crawling through her flesh and patches of bare bone exposed, while the other half of her face was riddled with cracks, like a piece of shattered chinaware. Her hideous appearance was truly nauseating, and a cowardly mortal could easily die from the intense fright of seeing such a ghastly sight.

Several thin azure branches shot out of a nearby pillar, ensnaring the peach wood sword mere inches before its tip plunged into the female tree spirit’s face.

All of a sudden, a tiny speck of silver light appeared on the peach wood sword, and it surged up and down along the blade of the sword. This speck of light was a talismanic gallbladder, and all of the tree branches that came into contact with it were immediately set alight with plumes of smoke rising up from them.

The female tree spirit let loose an agonized howl as she hurriedly twisted her head to the side, not daring to look at the speck of spiritual light any longer. At the same time, she frantically swept an arm through the air, hurling the clump of tree branches that were about to be incinerated into ashes toward the boudoir along with the peach wood sword that was still ensnared within the branches.

Due to how quick and excessive her head-turning motion had been, large chunks of flesh and maggots flew off her face, landing on the reclining chair, and she began to sob in a distraught manner, perhaps out of pain, but perhaps also out of embarrassment.

The black-robed man’s calm demeanor finally cracked upon seeing this, and a pained look appeared on his face as he yelled, “You’ve gone too far! Why do you insist on working with that illegitimate mountain god to target me and my wife?! Zhuo Jing may be a tree spirit, but she’s never harmed a single soul!

“During the past century, aside from maintaining Zhuo Jing’s vitality with my own lifeblood, all I’ve done is set up this formation in this estate that’s been absorbing all of the sinister energies in a radius of 150 kilometers. In contrast, that illegitimate mountain god has been leeching off the natural fortune of the land to bolster his own cultivation base!

“You proclaim yourselves to be heroes and Daoist priests, yet why are you targeting us instead of that illegitimate mountain god?!”

A look of grief and indignation appeared on the man’s face as he continued, “Just because my wife and I aren’t ‘human’, while that scoundrel is revered as a mountain god, you think that we must be evil, while he must be righteous, is that right?”

The man raised his sword horizontally in front of his own chest, then lowered his head to look down at the bright gleam that it was giving off. Once upon a time, he had cultivated swordsmanship in the blessed paradise of the Divine Edict Sect. He had been well-versed in inscription talismans and was once a handsome young prodigy with hopes of reaching the Middle Five Tiers.

However, all of that changed one day when he received a letter from his father, informing him that his fiance, who he had known ever since they were children, had fallen severely ill. Even the most renowned doctor in the city had already given up on her, but in the letter, he was told to remain in the sect and focus on the cultivation as even if he did return home, he most likely wasn’t going to be able to make it in time to see her before she passed.

The end of the letter implied that this marriage definitely wasn’t going to become a stumbling block for his future rise in Divine Edict Sect.

He burned the letter and returned home as quickly as he could, but by then, she was already dead.

He refused to listen to the pleas of his family, using a secret technique of Divine Edict Sect to inscribe a soul calling talisman with his own blood, then took the woman’s body and drew upon what little remained of her soul, traveling deep into the mountains in the dead of night.

During the day, he would hide in caves, then travel as quickly as he could after the sunset, trying to find a place with an abundance of Yin energy in the hope that he could help guide her soul back to the realm of the living.

During the subsequent century, he spent the entirety of his wealth and exhausted his cultivation base to build this estate, stealing the wood core of an ancestral elm tree of Ancient Elm Nation and using a transplanting secret technique to connect the woman’s soul with the core.

There were no longer any legs beneath the skirt of her dress, all that remained was a mass of tree roots. This estate had been built to extend her life, but it had also become her prison.

They pledged themselves to each other in marriage in the boudoir, kowtowing to heaven and earth, their parents and seniors, then finally to one another.

The only person who refused to abandon them this entire time was the woman’s personal maidservant, and even she had grown into an old woman.

The black-robed man lowered his sword as he murmured in a broken voice, “If this is the state of the world, then there’s no point for us to cling to life any longer.”

Xu Yuanxia also lowered his saber, then raised a hand to signal a truce. “Are there some hidden circumstances behind all of those that I don’t know about?”